Randall was awake and up the next morning. He stayed in the far corner of the room. He was watching for the humans warily. He didn't want to move much, as his wound was still tender. He was also grateful that he had some warmth in the room.
Now that he was awake, the humans mostly were avoiding the room because they thought he could be dangerous. One woman slid a bowl of water in for him.
Randall made himself come forward to look at it and being so thirsty, he drank some it. He didn't know when Jason would be back, but he hoped soon.
Jason dropped Jo off at Mrs. Gonzalez's house and he came over to collect Randall first thing this morning before they were open. They had called him and said that the lizard was doing fine. He was up and about, if in the back corner. He had drank some water.
"Can I collect my lizard?" Jason asked.
"We can bring him up to you." The dark haired woman said.
"We have experience handling the most exotic creatures." The blonde one said.
"Just be careful." Jason said.
"We will." The brown haired one said.
The women went back to collect the lizard.
Randall was just lying by the wall when the door opened fully. Three women came in, the ones from last night. They had some boards in front of them to corral him the way they wanted him to go, thinking he was like any other lizard.
"Come on now, Big Boy. Let's go." The vet said gently.
Randall smirked to himself. These women had no idea how well he could understand them. He knew it must be time to go, either for an exam, or Jason was getting him.
"Your master is here to get you." The blonde one said.
That meant Jason was here for him.
Randall went ahead of them once he pulled himself on all eights. It was easier for him at the moment to move this way. But before they took him up, they got a hold of him again, which that began a little struggle, but he didn't struggle much, as his wound acted up.
The vet just wanted to see how the wound was. It looked fine. The stitches could come out in probably a couple weeks, depending on how it was. The wound was bound up again for protection against infection.
Randall was glad to finally be allowed to get up front where he saw Jason waiting for him.
"Hey, Boy, how ya doing?" Jason greeted him in a singsong like way.
Randall knew not to speak at the moment, but he eyed him like he was a weirdo.
Jason spoke to him in a low tone, "I'll explain later."
Randall nodded.
"He's an interesting creature." The vet said.
"Yes, he is at that. How much?" Jason asked.
Randall looked up, scared for the moment. Jason wouldn't, would he?
"Three hundred."
"Okay." Jason said.
Randall growled. He hoped he wasn't being sold out.
Jason leaned down. "It's payment for your treatment. Let's go."
Randall was relieved. At least it was over. He and Jason were now getting out of here before other customers showed up.
Randall was glad to be out of there. He didn't want to portray a normal lizard any longer.
"I was just making sure you weren't selling me." Randall said firmly.
"Since I've known you this long, I know better than that. I know that other humans wouldn't understand you and would want you more for science projects. They were only helping you. That's why I told you to behave yourself." Jason said.
"I know. I still remember you telling me just as I woke up. Where's Jo?"
"She's with Mrs. Gonzalez. I'll get her later. Right now, it's her home schooling hours."
Jason took Randall home. Randall hoped he wouldn't have to face Quentin again, but then, the longer he stayed here, the more other humans might take an interest in him.
Randall knew he couldn't stay much longer. As soon as he was well again, he would be moving on. He knew Jo liked being around him, but this was for the better. He had always told her this was only temporary, and though it was nice Jason was offering him a home too, he knew Jason couldn't protect him from the whole world. Then he thought about Jason's words to him about Jo.
"Have you told Jo yet about adopting her?"
"Not yet. I'm waiting for the approval first." Jason replied. "It'll be a couple weeks yet. Let's keep this between us."
"Alright."
"I want to surprise her."
"You do that."
They both wanted Jo to be surprised and happy that she was going to stay with Jason.
…..
Randall was happy to be back at the house. He would rest for awhile. He wasn't to strain himself to tear the wound open. The stitches were itchy and pulled at his skin as he moved.
Jo was more than happy to have him back. She did some gentle games and movie watching with him.
Randall could move about the house and do some gentle movements. He cleaned and cooked, not stressing his wound. It was annoying.
A couple of weeks later, Jason had a look at the wound and it looked good. Using some small scissors, he took the stitches out. The skin held together and it would show a scar there. It was just another to add to a host of scars on Randall's body.
On this day was also when the papers came back that Jason was allowed to adopt Jo. He told Randall first. Jason was now officially Jo's guardian! Her new dad!
When he picked Jo up from her school lessons, Jason told her he had a surprise waiting at home. Jo got excited.
When she got in the house, there were cupcakes made by Randall and some pizza that was made.
"So what's my surprise?" Jo asked excitedly.
Jason and Randall looked at each other and smiled. Then Jason smiled down at her proudly, "Joanna, I am now officially your new daddy!"
"What?" She asked.
"He adopted you!" Randall said happily. "I know you wanted a mommy too, but you should get one in time. One day."
Jo ran and hugged Jason. Tears started falling from her eyes. This was a great day! She hugged Randall too. Then they all had a fun evening of food, games, and a movie before bedtime.
….
A few weeks later, summer vacation was nearing its end and Jason got Jo some school supplies, as she would be entering the public school system this fall.
Jo had drawn some pictures of Randall for her room. He was still her best friend. He had helped her get ahead with knowing some things she would need to know to enter school.
As much as this life had been interesting, fun, and scary all at the same time, Randall was beginning to look more forlorn all the time. He was deciding his next move.
He hadn't wanted to get too attached to the young girl, and this was going to be hard for him. But at the risk of being found out by other humans, he needed to move on.
He told Jason now that Jo had a home with him that he was going to move on this weekend. He would have fun with her one last time. He told Jason not to tell Jo that he was leaving.
"I'm going to move out while she's asleep. I don't do goodbyes very well. I'll write her a note." Randall said. "This is just for the best. I said I would only help her to find a new home and I've done that. You can take care of her better than I can. And at the risk of being seen by other humans around here just isn't worth it. It's been fun, Jason, but after what happened with those other two, I just have to move on." He explained to Jason.
"I understand, but you are more than welcome to stay." Jason replied. "But this is your choice."
Randall nodded. "A couple more days and that's it. I'll worry about afterwards as I come to it."
Randall didn't know where he would go or what he would do, but he just had made up his mind.
…
That weekend, Randall had a fun time with Jo one last time. They played games, watched a couple movies, had special food and such. Jason had gone to his brother's to see his niece so they could spend the time together.
That night, Jason came home and watched a movie one last time before going to bed.
Randall watched the sleeping girl. She looked so happy, and he was sure she would stay this way in this new home. He laid a hand on her head for a moment in a caring way. Then he went to her desk for one of the notebooks on it.
He wrote a note to her and left it on her new desk. He packed up some food items for his backpack and he went to bed. He was using an alarm clock so he could get out early in the morning.
Early in the morning, Randall got up and made sure all his supplies were packed and he left the house. This was for the best. He headed into the woods. He didn't know where he was going. He would just live life in the moment as it came. Maybe even help other kids that needed him. Jo had affected him that much, and remembering his own troubled childhood.
He didn't feel like going back to the monster world. He would probably be sent to jail anyway if he did go back. No one had wanted him there anyway. He was happier here. He had learned to make the best of it. Randall would do what he had to do to survive out here in the human world.
….
Jo awoke later and found her friend was gone.
"Where is Randall?" Jo asked, concerned.
"Randall decided to move on, Jo. He always told you that him being with you was temporary and made sure to find you a home. Well, he did. It's just us now, Jo. I know it'll take some getting used to. He just fears for being discovered by other humans. And he wanted the best for you. He wrote you a note telling you goodbye." Jason explained. "It should be in your room."
She went back to her room and found the note on her desk. Jo could read better now. Randall had helped her learn it too, aside from her teacher.
'To Jo:
I'm not real good at goodbyes, but I wanted to tell you that you were the best friend I ever had. This is hard for me to leave you, but I have done what I promised for you, helped you find a new home. I made sure it was safe for you and now that you are in a loving home, for my own safety to not be discovered by anymore humans, I need to move on. Enjoy every moment with Jason. You made my life enjoyable. I had fun with you and learned a lot of new things from you, like how fun children can be. I just might help other children like yourself. I'll be careful.
Take care of yourself, make friends, and enjoy your new life. This is goodbye. I'll never forget you.
Your friend,
Randall Boggs'
Jo's eyes welled with tears after reading the note. Jason came and hugged her. "I didn't want him to go!" She said.
"It was his decision, Jo. He made up his mind to go. He wants you to be happy with me. I love you." Jason said. "And it was obvious he loved you too, even if he didn't say it. After all, he took a bullet for you too. He helped save you." Jason explained. "And part of love is also about letting go of others that love you and you love them so they can have their own life that they choose."
Being how young she was, it was still hard for Jo to understand why Randall had left, but she would understand some day. Maybe he might even come back some day. She had hope for it.
Jo began school that fall and started to make new friends her own age. She learned many new things too. Jason made sure to tell her though that she wasn't to mention Randall to them. It was just for safety precautions.
Jason was a good father to her. He had his limits and rules for her to follow: making sure she did her homework, trying to make it fun; having the right babysitters, playing games and watching movies with her; making food for her; when she went to bed, etc. He made sure to time his work hours with her school hours. It was the best way so they could spend time together as a family.
For Jo, she was glad to have a new dad now, but living without Randall was still hard on her. He had just been what other humans couldn't do for her.
In time, Jason got Jo a pet: a dog. A golden retriever. A dog might not be the same kind of pet as a lizard, but Jason wanted his daughter to be happy. A dog was a pet that he understood how to take better care of and wasn't so misunderstood, or hard to find a vet for.
The puppy, named Randy, after Randall of course, helped bring much needed more happiness to Jo's life and her friends liked him too. He was house trained, taught to do tricks, groomed and just loved.
This was what a home should be for a little girl like Joanna. Her last name was also changed to Monroe after being adopted.
Jo would miss Randall, but he had helped her to get a better life than the one she had before.
…
Randall was helping other abused or orphaned kids out there and tried to help them find their new homes, one kid at a time. He traveled to many new places for and with these kids to make sure they found proper homes. He only got defensive when needed to protect himself or the kids he was caring for. He was still a master of disguise. He taught what he could to kids while they were staying with him.
It still wasn't easy out there, having to steal food and such, and there would always be challenges to his life.
He never forgot Joanna, the little girl that started him down this new path of redemption.
Every new kid affected him somehow and it was always hard to say goodbye, but with every new kid, he gained a bigger and better part of himself. He had found what his new life was going to be in the human world, however long it would last.
The End
I enjoyed writing this story. I hope you all enjoyed it too. Feel free to comment on how the story was, what you all thought of it.
